


In With the New (Out With the Old)

by lunabelle



Category: Parks and Recreation
Genre: Crushes, F/M, Friendship, Male-Female Friendship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-21
Updated: 2017-12-21
Packaged: 2019-02-18 04:17:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,086
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13092240
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lunabelle/pseuds/lunabelle
Summary: April's eager to get back to the Parks Office at the start of the new year, but it's certainly not because she wants to get work done...





	In With the New (Out With the Old)

**Author's Note:**

  * For [meet_me_onthe_equinox](https://archiveofourown.org/users/meet_me_onthe_equinox/gifts).



> Happy happy birthday to meet-me-onthe-equinox!!! <3

April wasn’t exactly sure what she was going to walk into that January morning. The first week of 2010 was upon them. The Christmas break was over, and the Parks Department was back in full swing for the new Year.

Her parents couldn’t believe it when she got up at six in the morning to head to work. She barely even woke up before nine if she could avoid it, and most of the time, she did. After explaining to them that her “crazy boss Leslie” wanted to have an “early new year meeting” with everyone in the department, they seemed to buy it. Natalie didn’t, but then again, Nat could always tell when April was lying. Big deal…she’d never say anything about it anyway.

Leslie’s car was one of the few that was actually there as April pulled into the garage. She knew her boss would be busy at work, trying to think of ways to save the Department money to start the new year off right.

The halls were quiet before eight o’clock. This was the only time April could actually remember liking it here. She passed right by the door to Parks and around the corner to Pioneer Hall. Her heart thumped with possibility and nerves, and she clenched her mittened fists in her coat pockets with every step she took. Sure enough, he was there…the tall, goofy shoeshiner who she couldn’t get enough of lately. When Andy saw April coming, his face lit up.

“Hey!” he stood up straight, running toward her before she’d even made it halfway there. “April!” He pulled her into a bone crushing hug, lifting her a whole foot off the ground. “Oh my God!”

April had to bite back her glee when she felt his strong arms around her, and only made eye contact with him and gave a small smile once both her feet were back on the ground.

“Hey,” she grinned. “What’s up?”

“April Ludgate,” he shook his head, laughing a little, before running a hand through his hair. His apron still hung loosely around him, not tied back yet. “You are incredible. Thank you so much for the Colts jersey!”

“I guess you found your present then?” she feigned a bit of disinterest, while on the inside she did a dance. “Cool.”

“More than cool!” Andy said, looking completely beside himself. “That was the best gift I’ve ever gotten—like ever—in my whole entire life! It was exactly what I wanted! You didn’t have to do that.”

“Well,” April shrugged, shuffled her feet, “you helped me, so I figured why not?”

“But I didn’t though,” And frowned. “I didn’t come up with any good gift ideas for your boyfriend…”

“You helped,” she said. “Believe me, you did.”

“Oh,” that seemed to appease him enough. “Good!”

“I’m just glad you liked it.”

“Are you kidding? Reggie Wayne!” Andy pumped his fist in the air. “The best ever. You totally made my day.” He lifted his hand for a hi-five. “You’re the coolest chick ever. I don’t know how I’ll ever repay you.”

“Awesome,” she returned it, slapping her hand against his much larger one. “And don’t worry, I don’t need anything so you don’t have to repay me.“

“C’mon, come hang out with me,” Andy gestured, leading the way back to his stand. “It’s still super early but I got here early because Ron said everyone wants a shoeshine to start the year off right.”

April nodded, pretending like she'd never heard that little factoid before. In truth, she’d heard Ron tell Andy that very thing the day before they left for the holidays.

“Can I get one while I’m waiting?” she asked.

“For my guardian angel and gift-giving best friend? Absolutely!” Andy made a show of getting the seat prepared for her. Once she was seated, he set to work on her faux-leather boots. “So, how was your Christmas?” he asked, glancing up at her every now and then.

“Ugh,” April rolled her eyes. “It was okay I guess,” she tapped her fingers against the arms of the chair. “We went to my uncle’s house and had dinner there. They live in Bloomington. It was lame.” She sighed. “How about you?”

“Well,” Andy sat up and looked at her for a moment, “I went to my brother’s house…my oldest brother. My mom was there with all my other brothers and their wives and the kids…it was kind of crazy. So many people.”

“How many brothers and sisters do you have?”

“Six older brothers,” Andy said proudly, “and no sisters.”

“Shit,” April chuckled. “Your poor mom…she must have been overwhelmed while you guys were growing up.”

Andy laughed and shrugged. “She did okay.”

“Your dad must have been thrilled though,” April offered.

Andy’s face did something she’d never seen before, in that it darkened. In a matter of seconds, he went from his usual, cheery, bright-eyed self to something completely different. He actually looked…sad.

April bit her lip. “Hey,” she said softly. “You okay? Did I say something wrong?“

“My dad died a while ago,” Andy said quickly, brushing her off. “It’s no big deal, you didn’t know.”

“Oh,” April said, feeling suddenly terrible. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean—“

“You didn’t know,” he said again. A silence hung in the air. April tried to think of something to change the subject. Andy got there first. “What else did you get for Christmas?” he asked, suddenly his bright self again.

“Well,” April smiled, relieved at the change, “nothing good. Some clothes and stuff, which is all right, I guess. But my dumb uncle made all of us wear these dumb sweaters for a picture and I wanted to die.”

“Gross,” Andy scrunched up his face and laughed. “What did yours have on it?”

“A gingerbread man,” April said.

“Wow,” Andy said. “I hope you have a copy of that picture so you can show me.”

“Never in a million years,” she said quickly.

Andy laughed along with her. No one had passed by them in all the time she’d been there so far, and April absolutely loved how much privacy they were getting.

“Oh, hey! What did you end up getting Derek? That’s his name right?” Andy finished up with one boot and moved on to the other. “What did he get _you?”_

“He got me tickets to some concert,” April shrugged. “Neutral Milk Hotel…they’re one of my favorites.”

“Never heard of them,” Andy said.

“I got Derek some stupid sneakers he wanted.”

“New sneakers are pretty awesome,” Andy said. “I’ve been wearing the same ones for…I don’t know…a while now.” He chuckled to himself.

“Yeah, well, Derek’s sneakers are weird…they’re all fancy and the laces are crazy…but it’s what he wanted and I kinda just gave up and asked him.” April rolled her eyes. “Some people are so hard to buy for.”

“Well, I think you got me just about the most awesome present of all,” Andy said. He sat up, finished with the second boot, and smiled. 

God, his smile was like no one else’s. He always just seemed so genuinely _happy._

“Well, I’m glad you like it,” she said softly.

“I love it,” Andy assured her. “It was honestly the best present I’ve gotten in months…years maybe.”

“Didn’t Ann ever give you anything nice?” April asked, although she couldn’t disguise the way she said the nurse’s name and the annoyance in her tone.

“Oh yeah, Ann used to give great gifts,” Andy said. “I mean, they were always really useful, you know? New underwear, new socks, new shirts…stuff I always needed.”

“That’s boring,” April said.

“Yeah, true,” Andy thought about it. “It kinda was,” he laughed. “Still, she always gave me something, even when I never remembered to get something for her. Now that I look back, there were a lot of things I should have done differently.”

“Like what?”

“Well, it’s not just the gift thing. I could have been a way better boyfriend,” Andy said. “I could have helped out more around the house. I could have tried to make more money. I could have appreciated her more. I guess it’s too late for that.”

April stared at him. He looked a little sad, but not enough to worry about. Then again, why should she be worrying? She and Andy weren’t the ones in a relationship, even if she was internally glad Andy and Ann were no longer together. _Wait, why was she so glad about that?_

“Well,” Andy said suddenly, tucking his rag away, “you, my favorite customer, are done! No charger, as per usual…”

“Thanks,” April said, admiring his job.

“Don’t mention it. The least I can do.” Andy clapped his hands on his knees and breathed in deeply. “Um, so d’you need to go to work now?” he asked. “I mean, you can stay here and hang out with me if it’s too early…if you want to, that is…“

April tried to give off the impression that his words didn’t just make her feel amazing inside. Instead, she gave it some pretend thought, crossing her arms. Then, she smiled. “Sure, why not?”

“Sweet!” Andy sat down in the seat beside her. He reached behind his counter and pulled out a large box of chocolate and offered it to her, shoving a caramel in his own mouth. “Here, have some,” he said, chewing loudly. “Got them from a customer before the holidays and forgot to take them home.”

“I’m good,” April said. “Wish I had some coffee though.”

“Say no more!” Andy stood up again just as quickly as he’d sat down. “C’mon, the coffee cart is open already.” He reached out a hand to help her down from the elevated chair, and she took it.

So far this day was shaping up better than April could have imagined.

 

“So, can I ask you something?” Andy asked her, as the two of them made their way back to the shoeshine stand after Andy purchased two coffees and a muffin for April. “It’s a little personal, I guess, but I figured you wouldn’t mind…”

“Of course,” April said. “Dude, what fun would I be if I couldn’t tell you any boring facts about me?” Honestly she was curious. He was eyeing her a little nervously, like he was afraid to ask the wrong thing.

“Okay,” Andy scratched his beard. “So, you and Derek are a couple, right? Like, boyfriend and girlfriend?”

“Yeah.”

“And the other guy, Ben, he’s…Derek’s boyfriend?” Andy squinted.

“Uh-huh.”

“So, like,” Andy sighed. “I mean, do you guys…you know…all date each other?”

“What, like do I do stuff with Ben?” April asked. “Ew, no…I hate Ben.”

“Oh.”

“Just Derek…we make out and stuff, and Ben’s just kind of there. It’s actually pretty annoying sometimes.”

Andy made a face. April wasn’t entirely sure, but she thought he looked a bit jealous for a moment. Maybe it was just wishful thinking on her part.

“Got it,” he said. “Well, didn’t wanna like, overtrude—“

“You mean intrude?”

“Yeah,” Andy said quickly. “That’s what I meant.”

“You’re not intruding,” April shrugged. “A lot of people ask me stuff like that. You’re just the only one I don’t mind explaining it to.” It was weird but totally true. She felt like she could tell him anything and he could ask just as much, and it would never annoy her. It was refreshing to say the least.

Andy smiled. “Oh, okay…”

They reached the shoeshine stand and a line had formed. April must have lost track of the time, because before she knew it, it was after nine.

“Woah,” Andy marveled. “Wow, guess I’d better get to work.”

“Ugh, guess this means I have to go,” April rolled her eyes. “I hate this stupid place…”

“Well, come back during lunch?” Andy suggested. “It gets kind of boring around here at that time. We can totally hang out again!” He said it with the same excited joy he always exhibited, and part of April—a part deep, deep down—got really giddy and almost just as excited at the idea of it.

“Okay,” she said. “Deal. I’ll be here.”

“Awesome,” Andy said. “Looking forward to it, so you better not stand me up, Ludgate.”

“Never,” she assured him, flashing him one last grin as she walked back toward Parks.

That was one promise in this god-forsaken building that she was definitely going to keep.


End file.
